Henry t



H. T. STITH.. I Traction-Wheel.

4N .224,'141. Patentedreb. 17, 1880.

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UNTTED STATES PAT-ENT Trina.

HENRY T. STITH, OF OTTAWA, KANSAS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF-OF HIS Y RIGHT TO SIMEON H. MERRILL, OF SAME PLACE.

TRAcTloN-WHEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 224,741, dated February 17, 1880.

Application filed August 5, 1879.

To all whom it may concern. l The vehicle is propelled by horse or steam Be it known that I, HENRY' T. STITH, of power, and the frameAtravels overthe smaller Y Ottawa, in the county of Franklin and State anti-friction Wheels O, which are arranged rin of Kansas, have invented certain new and usegroups,I the two outer smaller ones bein g upon 5 5 y 5 ful Improvements in Traction-Wheels for Yeeach side of an intermediate large wheel, D,

' hicles; and Ido hereby declare that the folall three upon the same aXle c, and while the lowing is a full, clear, and exact description frame causes the smaller wheels to revolve, the of the invention, which will enable others large wheel remains substantially stationary skilled in the art to which it appertains to upon the ground and forms its own track-- 6o ro make and use the same, reference being had that is, ot' every group thatis upon the ground,

to the accompanying drawings, and to the letgenerally three groups at a time. These groups ters of reference marked thereon, which form of wheels are connected by an endless chain a part of this specification. or bel@ELpfmlinksgso that as the car is pro- The object of my improvements is t better pelld the frame A travels on'the small wheels, 65

I that class ofinvcntions which 'essay to furnish and as it progresses all the groups are carried a continuous track for street-cars and other up and'around the ellipsoidal frame. The vehiclesforthe usual roads without rails or small wheels might have separate bearings; tramways. but this is not deemed necessary or desirable.

My invention seeks especially to provide a The large wheels are designed to support 7o zo new construction of track for such cars; and the smaller ones and keep them from the it consists of 4said novel track and its combiground, and to form oi themselves the track; nation with an endless carrying-belt. but these large wheels are not intended to re- Four` or` more trucks are arranged like volve. They receive the weight of the car and wheels, each truck consisting of an endless are made wheel shape, in order to accommo- 75 belt of wheels, three in a group, mounted date all unevenness of ground,whicha simple up'on axles, with the middle wheel substanshoe or runner would be incapable of doing, tially stationary upon the ground, forming` the and the main advantage of the large wheels track and supporting the outer smaller ones, lies in this fact and in the fact that, being beso that the smaller wheels do not touch the tween the two smaller ones, the truck is always 8o 3o ground, but support and form a traveling way kept balanced.

for a llanged ellipsoidal frame, which is suit- The small wheels and the large middle wheel ably braced and connected to the axle and are all journaledupon the same axle; but the truck-frame, causing the large middle wheel to smaller wheels rest against shoulders f on said act as the track on a common road, and to be axle to exclude mud and dust from the bear'- 8 5 carried upand around the ends of the ellipings.

soidal frame, and thus propel the vehicle. The Curves are easily turned, because the tracgroups of wheels, three upon the same axle, tion or small-wheels of one side truck may run are connected by links properly braced and faster or slower than those of the other, since secured. they move or revolve independently and do not 4o Inthe accompanying drawings, Figure l touch the ground. Theweight of the car upon represents a side elevation of a truck embracthe larger wheels forms the purchase. Bolts ing my invention; Fig. 2, atop View, and Fig, g between the groups of wheelsbrace the end- 3 a vertical cross-section. less belt of links.

The ellipsoidal frame A is carried by a fixed Suitable brakes can be applied upon the 95 car-axle, B, connected to the truck-frame by sides or tops of the large wheels to stop the hangers or otherwise. This ellipsoidal frame movement of the belt of wheels.

A consists of two side frames properly braced I' know that a system of trucks, each havto preserve its capacity and shape `by braces ing a track-forming shoe, has been proposed a b, and has face flanges c for conning the and covered by Letters Patent, and that said Loo 5o small wheels G to the tread d, as said frame trucks travel upon an ellipsoidal frame but I travels over the wheels. have distinctly described my construction, so

that my invention may be understood as being a different thing.

I claim- 1. In tractionvehicles adapted to make their own track, the intermediate stationary track-tbrmin g large Wheel, in combination with the smaller traveling frame-bearing Wheels upon each side thereof, substantially as described.

2. In traction-vehicles, the combination of the endless belt of grouped wheels, one large traek-formin g Wheel being between two smaller traveling wheels, with an ellipsoidal frame traveling 011 said smaller Wheels, substantially as described.

3. In traction-vehicles having an ellipsoidal frame traveling upon an endless belt of grouped wheels, as described, a group of three wheels,

the middle being vthe largest, and each wheel revolvn g independently of the other upon the same axle.

4L. In traction-vehicles, groups ot' wheels c0nnected b v an endless belt for the travel of an ellipsoidal trame, each group consisting' of a large middle wheel touching and bearing upon the ground at the proper time of revolution of the belt, and flanked on the same axle by two smaller traveling Wheels free ofthe ground, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence ot two Witnesses.

HENRY T. S'IITH.

Witnesses:

J. SUMs'rINE, W. S. WI-IIsENAND. 

